Automatic playing attachment for musical instruments.



PATENTBD' MAY l2 P. WULIN. AUTCMATI-C PLAIIINCr ATTACHMENT ICN MUSICALINSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 23, 1902. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

N0 MODEL.

PATBNTBD MAY I2, 1903.

P. WNLIN. AIITQMATIG PLAYING ATTAGHMNNIIOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIATION FILED DEO. Z3, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-7SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES w Patented. May 12, 1903.

PATENT GEEICE.

PETER WELIN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,725, dated May 12,1903.

Application filed December 23, 1902.A Serial No. 136,351. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER WELIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Automatic PlayingAttachment for Musical Instruments, of which the followingis aspecification.

This invention relates to that class of automatic musical instrumentswhich are operated by pneumatic tension and which are usually controlledby a perforated rn usic-sheet or strip of perforated paper.

The especial object of this invention is to more perfectly subdivide theoperating'mechanisms of automatic instruments of this class, so thateach note will be controlled by a distinct element or train of operativeparts, eachVV of which is independently detachable and may be removedwithout affecting the other operative elements for the remaining notes.

To these ends this invention consists of the parts and the combinationsof parts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out inthe claims at the end of this speciication.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, Figure l is a perspectiveview of suicient parts of an automatic musical instrument to illustratethe application of my invention thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectionalview of one of the detachable elements, each of which includes a mainpneumatic and the valves for controlling the same. Fig. 8 is aperspective view of one of the arms carried by each pneumatic. Fig. 4 isa bottom perspective view of the main pneumatic detached from itsvalve-box. Fig. 5 isa bottom perspective view of the middle and uppersections of a valve-box, and Fig. 6 isa perspective View of the bottomsection of a valve-box.

In the ordinary construction of automatic musical instruments of thatclass to which this invention relates it has heretofore ordinarily beenimpossible to obtain access to any one of the main pneumatics or to anyone set of valves controlling such a pneumatic without dismantling theentire stack of main pneumatics and of controlling-valves therefor. Toavoid this objection, I have shown a construction in a companionapplication for patent filed May 3, 1902, Serial No. 105,766, in

Vparts of the instrument.

which each of the main operatin g-pneu matics formsa detachable elementwhich may be re'- moved without displacing the other operative It hasalso been proposed in some other constructions to employ sectionalstructures for the controllingvalves and primarypneumatics which willpermit any one set of controlling-valves to be removed withoutdisplacing the other sections. The especial object of my presentinventionis to extend this principle of sectional construction so thatinstead of simply being able to remove a main pneumatic or a sectioncontaining one set of controlling-valves an instrument constructedaccording to my invention will comprise a plurality of detachableelements, each of which contains within itself an entire controllingtrain for one note-that is, the main or motor pneumatic, the valvescontrolling the main or motor pneumatic, and the primary or actuatingpneumatics for said valves.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a detail description of anapparatus embodying my invention, T designates the ordinarytracker-board or music-ran ge over which the sheet of perforated paperis drawn. The tracker-board T is provided with holes for cooperatingwith the perforations of the musicsheet, and extending down from each ofthe tracker-board holes is a small pipe P, which connects to a channelor perforation in a base-board B. The upper part of the baseboard B isprovided with a suction-chamber, and openin g through the rear side ofthe baseboard B into this suction-chamber are the openin gs orsuction-holes E. The detachable elements, each one of which combines initself the operating-train for a single note, are detachably secured tothe base-board B. Each of these elements, as herein illustrated,comprises a valve-box 10, with a main pneumatic 11, carried by anddirectly supported upon the valve-box. The movable section of each mainpneumatic 11 is provided with a counecting-arm 15, which operates aspringpressed lever through a connecting rod or wire 17, having thebuttons 18 threaded thereon. The lever 16 is connected to strike orsound the note through any ordinary connections.

IOO

In practice l have applied my construction to an action located insideof a piano-casing.

The rear ends of the lever 16 and the operating-arm 15 are slotted andcountersunk to receive the connecting-wire 17. I regard this as adesirable form ot attachment, as it permits the connecting-Wire 17 to belaterally displaced whenever one of the detachable elements is to beremoved.

The clamping mechanism for holding the detachable elements in place maybe of any desired construction, and, as herein illustrated, thismechanism comprises clamping bolts or wires 13, with a cross-bar 14,which may be clamped in place by nuts threaded onto the bolts 13. Bymeans of this construction by loosening the claInping-bolts andlaterally displacing the connecting-Wires 17 an elelnent containing acomplete train of operating devices may be removed for repair orreplacement, and I regard this as the essential and controlling featureof the automatic musical instrument constructed according to myinvention, as it permits a much more perfect and reliable system ofrepairs than any of the other instruments of this class-that is to say,automatic musical instruments of the class to which this inventionrelates are frequently installed and used at considerable distances fromthe factory where they are produced, and it results from this thatwhenever an automatic instrument of this class needs to be repaired orrenovated either the entire instrument has to be shipped back to thefactory or else the repairs have to be made by unskilled labor andalways without proper tools and littings. By the use of my construction,however, whenever any one note failsv to operate properly its entiretrain of operating mechanism may be removed as a single unitary elementand shipped back to the factory for repairs, while at the same time byproviding a few spare elements for replacing those Which are taken outfor repairs the instrument may be kept in perfect order even While therepairs are being eected.

The detail construction of the operating parts contained in each of thedetachable elements is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 to 6,inclusive, As shown, each valve-box comprises a lower section 20,containing a channel 21 for connection with the tracker-board channel.Secured on top of the section 20 is a suction-chamber section 22,havinga chamber 23 for connection with the suction-chan- -nel E of thebase-board B. Secured on top of the section 22 is a section 31,containing the controlling-valves. These three sections, as Well as thebottom section of the main pneumatic, are fastened together with fourscrews, as indicated by dotted lines. The channel 21 for thebase-section is connected with the suction-chamber 23 through the0rdinary bleeding-passage 24, so that an air tension is ordinarilymaintained in the channel 21 except when a perforation passes theopening in t-he tracker-board corresponding with this particular note,when an impulse of air will be admitted through the channel 21 tooperate the primary pneumatic 25. The primary pneumatic 25 closes anormally open valve 26 and opens a Valve 27 to connect a chamber orpassage 28 with the atmosphere. The passage or chamber 23, as shown mostclearly in Fig. 5, is connected by channels 29 and 30 to acontrolling-pneumatic 32, so as to admit an air impulse to operate thepneumatic 32 to raise the valve 33, shutting the connection between themain pneumatic and the atmosphere and opening a connection made in theconstruction of automatic mu sical instruments without departing fromthe scope of my invention as expressed in the claims. I do not wish,therefore, to be limited to the construction I have herein shown anddescribed; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

1. The combination in an automatic musical instrument of a mainpneumatic, a controlling-pneumatic, and valves therefor, said partsbeing combined in an element detachably secured in place, so that thesame may be removed without otherwise dismantling the construction.

2. The combination in an automatic musical instrument of a mainpneumatic and controlling means for the main pneumatic, comprising avalve, a valve-operating pneumatic, and a primary pneumatic controllingthe valve-operating pneumatic, said parts being combined to form adetachable element, which may be removed Without otherwise dismantlingthe machine.

3. As an article of manufacture, a detachable element for automaticmusical instruments, comprising a valve-box, and a main pneumaticconnected to and carried by the valve-box, said valve-box containing avalve, a valve-operating pneumatic, and a primary pneumatic controllingthe valve-operating pneumatic.

4. In an automatic musical instru`ment,the combination of a base-board,a Valve-box detachably secured to the base-board, a main pneumaticmounted upon and carried by the valve-box, a lever or part to beoperated, an arm carried by the movable section of the main pneumatic,and a connecting-wire fitting into slots in the arm and part, to be 0p-IOC IIO

1o Wire fitting into slots in the operating arm and piece to be operatedrespectively and nuts or abutments threaded onto the endsv of theconnecting-wire. i

In testimony whereof I havehereulnto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing l5 witnesses.

. P. WELIN. Y Witnesses:

PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE, LOUIS W. SOUTHGATE.

